FLACRA takes over operation of Turnings outpatient clinic in Hopewell

Sunday

Jan 5, 2014 at 6:00 AM

By Erinn Cainecain@messengerpostmedia.com

The Finger Lakes Addictions Counseling & Referral Agency Inc. has taken over the operation of Ontario County's outpatient clinic focused on prevention and treatment of substance abuse — a move the agency’s executive director said he sees as an opportunity to expand both to more clients and to a new area of the county.

FLACRA took over operations Jan. 2, after the Ontario County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution in September to authorize County Administrator John Garvey to execute a contract with FLACRA to operate the Turnings clinic in Hopewell.

With this latest move, the private, not-for-profit organization has expanded its role in the region as a substance abuse treatment provider. FLACRA is also the lead agency on the Cadence Square project, partnering with the Canandaigua VA to operate the 15-bed community residence for at-risk veterans, slated to open in early 2014.

The clinic in Hopewell will remain in its current space as the FLACRA Hopewell Outpatient Clinic while the agency seeks a new location, Teller said. He said he hopes to expand the clinic to accommodate more clients, and FLACRA is exploring the possibility of moving the clinic to Farmington.

“We surely see an opportunity for FLACRA and, most significantly, the residents of Ontario County in another geography,” Teller said. “… That’s why we’re focusing on making that change.”

A new focus

Ontario County Director of Community Services Diane Johnston said that last year, the county began exploring the possibility of having a private provider operate the Turnings clinic.

Johnston said the county examined the role Turnings plays in providing outpatient substance abuse services in Ontario County. In 2012, Turnings provided 22 percent of services, compared to 44 percent for FLACRA and 34 percent for Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic, she said.

“We’re a very small percentage of the market,” added Garvey.

Cost was also considered in determining the future of the clinic, Johnston said.

“Certainly, county positions are very costly,” she said. “That comes down to taxpayer money. We really need to look carefully at what makes sense to ask taxpayers to pay for.”

Ontario County Director of Finance Catherine Bentzoni said the budgeted county cost to operate Turnings in 2013 was $467,978.

With county officials reporting that about 90 percent of the tax levy in the 2014 county budget will go toward mandated programs, Ted Fafinski, Farmington supervisor and member of the county Health and Medical Services Committee, said the county needs “to look at things over which we have control.”

“It’s all about budgets,” he said. “It’s all about mandates. It’s all about the tax cap. It’s also about providing services.”

Weighing the options

Ontario County received proposals from two providers — FLACRA and the Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse of Livingston County Inc. — seeking to run the Turnings clinic. The proposals were reviewed by a team that included county staff, Fafinski and two representatives of the Ontario County Community Services Board.

Johnston said that both proposals were strong and that factors considered when reviewing them included the effectiveness of the services and their accessibility to consumers. She said the county’s history with FLACRA was also a factor in the county’s decision to move forward with the agency. For example, FLACRA provides services for the county jail and public defender’s office, she said.

“Certainly, FLACRA has partnered with us in other ventures in the past,” Fafinski said. “FLACRA was here and now and operating in this county. If it’s about the people we’re serving, we need to take that into consideration.”

The agency is headquartered in Clifton Springs, and its relationship with the county has grown since it was founded in 1973, Teller said.

“We’ve had nothing but excellence in our working relationship,” he said.

Bentzoni said the county has agreed to pass through the state aid it receives for operating the clinic — $65,882 is anticipated for 2014 — as well as contribute the local match required by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. A total of $61,884 is anticipated in 2014, she said.

Treating the disease

Bill Fox, director of treatment services at FLACRA, said the agency places an emphasis on the intensity of services provided to clients early on in their treatment.

“We believe it is a disease — that alcohol addiction is a disease, that any drug addiction is a disease — and that left untreated, it could be fatal,” Fox said. “Clients coming in January will be exposed to opportunities for more intensive care.”

Fox said the clinic — which will provide evaluations and individual and group therapy — will offer both day and evening programs. He said FLACRA offers numerous specialty groups, including ones exclusively for men or women and others focused specifically on preventing relapses. There are also groups for clients who have mental health disorders.

Fox said he expects the program offerings at the clinic will grow over time.

Teller added that FLACRA will provide medication-assisted therapy, which Turnings did not offer. Not many providers offer these services, Johnston added.

Preparing for the transition

Since September, Teller said, FLACRA received an operating certificate from the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, and representatives from the county and FLACRA held meetings on the transition. Work groups were also formed to address such issues as the transition of clients, record-keeping and information technology, Teller said.

“First and foremost, all parties are working toward the smoothest transition for current Turnings clients,” he said.

Johnston said letters were sent out to each of the approximately 80 clients at Turnings. About 15 clients were nearing completion of their treatment, and about 65 were transferring to FLACRA, she said.

In addition, the five Turnings employees accepted positions at the FLACRA clinic and underwent training, Teller said.

Finding a new home

In the first six months of 2014, FLACRA will investigate potential new sites for the clinic, particularly in Farmington, Teller said.

Prior to the transition of the Turnings clinic, in Ontario County, FLACRA operated outpatient clinics in Clifton Springs and Geneva. Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic has clinics in Clifton Springs and Canandaigua, while Turnings was located in Hopewell.

Residents of Victor and Farmington currently have to travel outside of their area to receive services, Teller said, adding that he hopes to expand the clinic to accommodate about 100 clients.

In November, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution authorizing Garvey to execute a lease with FLACRA for the Turnings space, equipment and furnishings from Jan. 1 to June 30, with an option to extend the lease on a month-by-month basis for up to six additional months. The agency will pay the county $2,232 per month to lease the space, Bentzoni said.

Johnston said the lease will allow more time to determine the best location for the clinic, adding that transportation is an issue for some clients.

“We need to look at how we can reach farther, reach everyone in the community,” she said.

Teller added, “we’re all very excited. I think we have an enthusiastic administration and an enthusiastic staff, and there’s a lot of excitement to make this happen.”

By the numbers

Share of outpatient substance abuse services provided in Ontario County in 2012

22 percent Turnings

34 percent Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic

44 percent Finger Lakes Addictions Counseling & Referral Agency Inc.

Source: Diane Johnston, Ontario County director of community services

Learn more

For more information about the Finger Lakes Addictions Counseling & Referral Agency Inc. and the services it provides, call (315) 462-9466 or visit flacra.org.